Amendments

In November 2025, links were added to Youth Remand Concordat - Guidance and principles to follow a joint approach throughout the youth remand process for local and national partners and Delivering the best for girls in custody - an independent review into placements and care for girls in the Children and Young People Secure Estate.

This chapter was updated in November 2025 to reflect Granting Leaves of Absence in Working Together to Improve School Attendance statutory guidance, which states that generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance for leave of absence.

In November 2025, information was added about how to access pre-application advice on caring for children with complex needs (Ofsted) in Section 2.1, Additional Considerations Where a Child Has Multiple Needs. If you are thinking about opening a children’s social care service for children with complex needs.

This chapter was refreshed in November 2025 to include information from the Criminal Injuries Compensation: A Guide.

This chapter was updated in November 2025 to include information for the Restraint and restrictive practices: positive environments for children - Ofsted: social care.

This chapter was refreshed in November 2025. 
The Government guidance Report the death or serious harm of a child or care leaver has been updated to provide what information is needed when reporting incidents involving children who have died or been seriously harmed and abuse or neglect is known or suspected, looked after children and care leavers. The Serious Incident Notification Guide for local authorities was added to this chapter.

In May 2025, updates were made to reflect the Homelessness Code of Guidance - Chapter 22: Care Leavers (updated 3 May 2024) which sets out the expectation that authorities should have in place joint protocols which clearly outline jointly held corporate parenting responsibilities for care leavers. See Section 8, Joint Housing Protocols for Care Leavers.

In May 2025, a link was added to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children’s Homes and Health Care.

In May 2025, links were added to additional sources of guidance.

In May 2025, information in relation to bunk beds was added into Section 9, Accommodation, Bedroom Space and Sharing.

Section 15.1, Registering an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability) was updated in May 2025 in line with case law.

In May 2025, information was added in relation to Ofsted and CQC Joint Registration Guidance: Children’s Homes and Health Care.

This chapter was updated in May 2025 to include a link to the Disclosure and Barring Service Guidance Leaflets (GOV.UK) in Related Guidance.

This chapter was updated in May 2025 to include a link to the Disclosure and Barring Service Guidance Leaflets (GOV.UK) in Section 4.5, Concluding the Investigation.

This chapter was refreshed in May 2025 in line with How Local Authorities and Children’s Homes Can Achieve Stability and Permanence for Children with Complex Needs (Ofsted).

In November 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

In November 2024, links to guidance were updated.

In November 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

In November 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

In November 2024, information on Ofsted checks was added into Section 5.1, Checks.

In November 2024, this chapter was refreshed.

This chapter was updated in November 2024.

In November 2024, links to sources of further information were updated.

This chapter was added to the manual in November 2024.

In November 2024, information was added to Section 3, Stage One-The Pre-Assessment Process, with details on how to request information about an applicant from Ofsted.

This chapter was updated in November 2024.

Section 2, Ordinary Residence was updated in May 2024 in line with case law.

In May 2024, this chapter was updated to include information from Guidance - Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders - guidance for providers, social workers and placement commissioners on placing children, subject to a deprivation of liberty order (DoL), in unregistered settings and President of the Family Division Practice Guidance: Placements in Unregistered Children’s Homes in England or Unregistered Care Home Services in Wales.

This chapter was amended in May 2024 to include information from Special Educational Needs and Disability: Improving Local Authority Decision Making - Report of the Administrative Justice Council’s Working Group on Special Educational Needs and Disability. Section 15, Resolving Disagreements was updated to include information on Guidance: Carry Out an Order in Special Educational Needs Cases.

Section 10, Use of Inherent Jurisdiction to Authorise a Placement Involving a Deprivation of Liberty was updated throughout in May 2024 in line with Revised Practice Guidance on the Court’s Approach to Unregistered Placements (October 2023) and Revised National Listing Protocol for Applications that Seek Deprivation of Liberty Orders Relating to Children under the Inherent Jurisdiction.

In May 2024, information was added in relation to family group decision-making in Section 1, Introduction and Time Limits and Section 5, Pre-Proceedings, and a link added to chapter Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making.

In May 2024, this chapter was updated in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children. A new Section 3, Death of a Care Leaver Up to and Including the Age of 24 was added.

In May 2024, this chapter was updated in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children, to note that notifications should also be made of the death of a care leaver up to and including the age of 24.

This chapter was refreshed throughout in May 2024 in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

In May 2024, a link was added in Section 4, Assessment to BASW Age Assessment Practice Guidance. In Further Information, a link was added to Operation Innerste Process: Caseworker Guidance.

In May 2024, additional information was added about online safety.

This chapter was added to the procedures manual in May 2024.

This chapter was refreshed throughout in May 2024.

This chapter was refreshed in May 2024.

This chapter was refreshed throughout in May 2024.

This chapter was refreshed throughout in May 2024 in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This chapter was refreshed throughout in May 2024 in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This chapter was updated in May 2024. Information was added into Section 10, Special Guardian Duty on the Death of the Child, that the relevant local authority should be notified if the child was previously a looked after child.

This chapter was added to the procedures manual in May 2024.